Page 28 of Cozy Girl Fall
Angie Larkin was a hard ass.
Penny had suspected as much for a long time, but seeing her mom in action really drove it home.
With the annual bonfire done, the next big event for Magnolia Springs was the Halloween Orchard Fest, and if Penny didn’t already know that her mom thrived on a deadline, then she might have been concerned they were taking too much on.
The Orchard Fest had grown bigger every year until it had become a Magnolia Springs staple and Penny couldn’t deny that she was excited to attend for the first time in forever.
“What do you think?” Angie asked vaguely and Penny nodded her head, knowing full well her mom didn’t actually want any opinions or feedback. Penny had stopped offering them after the third time she’d been shot down that afternoon.
Most of the trees were now bare of apples, barring a few in the far corner, and her mom surveyed the land with her hands on her hips and a keen look in her eyes that Penny had seen far too many times growing up. Usually when she had tried to get out of doing her homework to hang out with Tasha.
“Ethan!” Angie called and Penny jolted, looking over her shoulder to find her …
boyfriend. The word itself nearly made her smile, like an absolute goofball.
Ethan approached, looking far too edible to be seen in public, and smiled at her mom.
“Now, what do you think of this …” Angie launched into her whole spiel again, explaining where she wanted to set up the various stations while Ethan nodded and rumbled his praises in that deep voice of his that drove Penny wild.
Until she realized what he was saying.
She tuned back in to hear him confirming their dinner plans and her head jerked up, bouncing between Ethan’s smug face and her mom’s delighted one.
“Wait, what?”
Ethan dimpled at her from above her mom’s head and Penny narrowed her eyes. “I was just inviting your parents to the dinner party we’re hosting.”
“Right,” she said slowly and his smile widened. “When is that again?”
“Friday.”
“And who else is going to be there?”
Angie frowned at Penny as Philip walked over to join them. “Honestly, Penny. Goodness knows where you got your organizational skills from because it certainly wasn’t me.”
“What?”
“Well, it’s almost as if you know nothing about your own dinner party, honey.”
Penny glared at Ethan. “Almost as if.”
Why was he springing this on her now? By way of her parents? The question must have been written all over her face because as soon as her parents moved deeper into the trees, Ethan slung an arm over her shoulder and murmured, “Figured this way you couldn’t run off or hide me from your parents.”
“Some warning would have been nice,” she muttered and he snorted.
“The lack of warning was deliberate.” His eyes sparkled as he tugged on the ends of her new scarf, a fluffy purple number she’d bought that weekend. “But what do you say? Will you host a dinner party with me?”
“Maybe,” she conceded. “If you make it worth my while.”
“That can be arranged,” he whispered, kissing her cheek. “I thought it would be a good way to let everyone know about us, all in one go.”
She hummed and slid her body around so she could look up at him. “I like the sound of that. Us. It does mean you’re my boyfriend, right? Because in my head that’s what I’ve been calling you since the night of the bonfire.”
“Penny, are you asking me to go steady?”
She snorted. “I think we’re past that point.”
His eyes darkened and he leant in to press a lingering kiss to her lips.
“I thought I made what I wanted from you pretty clear the night of the bonfire, but by all means, I’d be happy to give you a repeat.
” The words were low and hot and made her toes curl when they were coupled with the smirk on his face.
“You can call me whatever you want. Honey, boyfriend, partner … I mean, I’d personally go with forever , but if you just want me as your boy toy or your boyfriend, then I guess I can live with that,” he teased.
Forever . “Maybe we should start with boyfriend and see how you do.” She tried to hide her smile and failed. “But I guess you’re right, a dinner party really is in order.”
A gentle breeze rustled the leaves at their feet as Ethan cupped Penny’s cheek. “I’m so completely yours, you know. Will you be mine?”
He’d asked her the same thing in a dozen different ways over the past few days; she couldn’t tell if it was romantic or a request for reassurance. Either way, she didn’t mind. The tenderness with which he said the words made a lump rise in her throat and she nodded. “Yes.”
“Good, because I really didn’t want to have to uninvite everyone to our soft-launch dinner.”
Dinner. Right. Her mind was already whirling, producing and discarding possible recipes to try. “Who else did you invite?”
“Tasha, your parents, and mine.”
Despite the fact that she’d already bumped into Ethan’s mom a few times since being back, nervousness made her palms tingle at the prospect of seeing her again in a more formal setting. Would his parents approve of them dating again? Did they hold her mistakes against her?
Pushing down her panic, she tried for a smile that felt wobbly. “Can’t wait.”
She met Tasha later that afternoon, having left Ethan in the capable hands of her parents to help with the festival-planning. Penny was facing an altogether bigger task: finding the perfect outfit for this dinner party.
It needed to be something mature and pretty, but also easy to move in when she was cooking. Cool enough that she wouldn’t sweat through it standing over the stove, but not so skimpy that it would look odd given the colder weather.
She was probably overthinking it a little.
“Try a lot ,” Tasha griped and then smiled to show she didn’t really mind Penny’s whining. “This feels so weird, shopping with you on a Tuesday afternoon like school just got out and we need to spend the allowance burning a hole in our pocket.”
Penny laughed and then took a long drag of her iced coffee. It was cold out, but she’d been in an anxious sweat ever since Ethan had dropped the meet-the-parents … again bomb on her. “Is it still just the same places that have good stuff?”
Tasha peered in the window of the library as they walked past and waved at the brunette woman inside.
“Pretty much. Though, a couple stores changed hands. Do you remember Candace?” Penny nodded, they’d gone to school with the bubbly blonde girl.
“She runs Threads now and, to be honest, the stuff in there is super cute.”
Penny wasn’t sure she was ready to see more people she went to high school with, but needs must, and she followed Tasha into the store in question with only a small amount of reluctance.
The vibe inside was very boho-chic and Penny had no doubt that in the summer this store would contain a lot of sequins. They didn’t recognize the girl behind the counter and Penny breathed a sigh of relief that she could focus on finding an outfit and not on small talk.
Racks of colorful clothing seemed to be organized by occasion rather than any other order she could make sense of, with matching shoes stacked atop the clothes on a small podium.
They browsed idly and Tasha held up a couple tops for Penny to inspect and disregard due to the itchy-looking lace on the straps and front.
“I meant for me,” Tasha said, rolling her eyes.
“Oh. In that case, it’s cute.”
“Do you guys need any help?” The girl from the counter called and Penny shook her head at the same time that Tasha nodded.
“That would be great. We’re looking for a parental-approved outfit, but it needs to be cooking-safe.”
The girl nodded like that wasn’t a strange request in the least and tucked a strand of pink hair behind her ear. “I think a dress is probably your best bet, something with short sleeves so they don’t get in the way?”
Penny headed to the carousel the girl indicated, flipping through the rack before pausing on one dress in particular that had a lovely silky texture and was a burnt orange perfect for the season. “What do you think of this?”
Tasha ooh ed. “I love. Do you want to try it on?”
Penny hesitated, holding the dress up against her and looking in the floor-length mirror to her left.
It was nice. The dress complemented her hair, making the brown look richer, and her green eyes popped against the red-orange of the dress.
“Should I really buy the first thing in the first place I look?”
Tasha laughed. “Well, this is Magnolia Springs, not the city, so it’s not like there’s a whole ton of choice around here anyway.”
She had a point. “OK. OK, I’ll take it.” The dress rippled in the air as Penny walked it over to the counter to pay and the girl smiled as she grabbed a bag.
“So, you’re a chef? Are you the new owner of the lot next door?”
Penny blinked. “No, I work in the city.” Worked , she mentally corrected and the girl made a noise of understanding.
“Ah, I just wondered. It’s been vacant for a couple months now, it used to be a Thai place.”
At the mention of Thai food, Penny’s stomach growled and she glanced at Tasha with warm cheeks. “Lunch?”
“Thought you’d never ask.” Tasha bought the two tops she’d been eyeing and then they thanked the clerk on their way out.
A wind had kicked up, whipping their hair around them with enough ferocity that Penny knew her hair would be knotted by the time they got inside.
The vacant storefront the girl had mentioned was indeed right next door; a wide window with a faded white frame offered a glimpse inside to reveal a fairly large floor space.
Penny looked away, letting Tasha lead her away in search of food, even as Penny wondered what kind of restaurant might move in there and how they might decorate.
New eateries were never a bad thing, especially in Magnolia Springs where cafes and food trucks were more prevalent—though there was a semi-fancy restaurant in the new town, last time Penny had checked anyway.
“Hello? Earth to Penny?”
She shook her head and focused on Tasha. “Sorry, what?”
“I asked if cake was an acceptable lunch.”
She snorted. “Are you looking for permission or a partner-in-lunch-crime?”
Tasha grinned and held open the door to the bakery for Penny to enter first. “Both.”